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Student game development competition launches with ‘Mendelian inheritance’ theme and offers coveted Unreal Engine 4 license as a prize

CARY, N.C., October 03, 2012 —Epic Games, Inc., creators of award-winning games and game technology, announces the launch of Make Something Unreal Live (MSUL) 2013, the international game development competition open to all students enrolled full-time at any European higher education establishment.

Epic is accepting game pitches through 2nd November that cleverly play on the theme of Mendelian inheritance, which spans concepts such as variation, mutation and other behaviors of the human genome. Teams making it through to shortlist rounds will use Epic’s Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free edition of Unreal Engine 3 (UE3), to create new PC games based on their pitches, with the ultimate goal of winning a commercial Unreal Engine 4 license for PC digital distribution.

Culminating at the Gadget Show Live exhibition in April 2013, MSUL will provide a platform for aspiring game developers to showcase their talents and skills. At the consumer event, four finalist teams will rapidly iterate on their games and capture the imaginations of MSUL judges and the public by presenting new developments live on the show floor twice daily.

“MSUL is a fantastic way of discovering the brightest minds and the best ideas in the student development community. The competition enables tomorrow’s stars to gain experience in every aspect of game development, from generating original ideas through to the pitch process, right up to a vertical slice of the gameplay experience,” commented Mike Gamble, European Territory Manager at Epic Games.

This year’s competition is supported by the Wellcome Trust and through its involvement the theme of the competition this year is “Mendelian inheritance: genetics and genomics.” The Trust will provide the teams with resources throughout the competition, as well as access to scientists and facilities.

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.

Dr. Daniel Glaser, Head of Special Projects at the Wellcome Trust, said, “We’re delighted to be involved with Make Something Unreal Live, and to support and inspire a new generation of games developers. The Wellcome Trust is committed to using games and gaming culture as a means of engaging people with science, working to network the talent and knowledge of scientists and developers and offering a range of funding schemes.”

Over the past decade Epic’s Make Something Unreal game development competitions have awarded millions of dollars’ worth of cash and prizes, enabled the release of numerous commercially successful computer and video games and jumpstarted many careers.

About Unreal Engine

Developed by Epic Games, the award-winning Unreal Engine is known for its cutting-edge graphics, best-of-breed toolset and scalability across major platforms. Operating on nine platforms, including PC, consoles and mobile devices, Unreal Engine 3 is designed to accelerate developers’ productivity for creating high-quality games, applications, training simulations, 3D visualizations, digital films and animated entertainment. Powering hundreds of games and integrated with two dozen leading middleware technologies, Unreal Engine 3 holds more than 20 technology awards, including seven Game Developer Front Line Awards and five Develop Industry Excellence Awards. The Unreal Engine also holds a seat in the Front Line Awards Hall of Fame. Epic’s Unreal Engine 4 offers unprecedented workflow improvements and graphical capabilities that provide unparalleled accessibility for developers building the next generation of games and applications. For additional information, please visit http://www.unrealengine.com.

About Epic Games

Established in 1991, Epic Games, Inc. develops cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. The company is responsible for the bestselling “Unreal” series of games, the blockbuster “Gears of War” franchise and the groundbreaking “Infinity Blade” line of mobile games. Epic’s award-winning Unreal Engine technology has won dozens of awards and is available for licensing. Epic is continually recruiting top talent for its studios located in North Carolina, Washington, Utah, Maryland, Poland, Korea and Japan. Additional information about Epic can be obtained at http://www.epicgames.com.

Epic, Epic Games, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, Unreal, Unreal Developer Network, UDN, Unreal Development Kit, UDK, Unreal Engine, UE3, UE4 and Unreal Tournament are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the United States of America and elsewhere. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.